Splintered Memory - By Natascha Holloway Page 0,79

is where he’s supposed to be?” Bex asked.

Matt nodded, and dashed off in the direction of Rich’s room. Today was not about him he thought.

***

Matt had felt distracted throughout the wedding, and whilst he’d been stood to Rich’s right – waiting for Bex to make her entrance, he’d felt as anxious as he had when their positions had been reversed almost a decade ago. His eyes had kept wondering over to where he’d known Charlie had been sat, but he hadn’t been able to see her properly. He had however caught a glimpse of her arriving, and he’d been able to see the pretty lilac flower that she had in her hair.

Outside after the service, he stood with Emily who was talking to him excitedly. Yet he still felt distracted and he continued to look around for Charlie, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. He tried to engage himself in conversation with people, and he stood for a while making polite chit chat with Bex’s parents while Emily held his hand tightly as though to remind him that he was there with her.

It was only when he was stood talking and laughing with Rich, as the photographer took photographs of the two of them, that he finally spotted Charlie. She was stood talking to his parents and he stopped laughing. He looked at the photographer and asked; “are we done?”

The photographer looked shocked by Matt’s sudden change of demeanour, and he nodded. Rich nodded too, as a sign that it was okay for him to walk away from his best man duties for a while.

Matt walked quickly over to where Charlie was stood with his parents, and as he reached them he put his hand on his father’s shoulder briefly and kissed his mum on the cheek.

“Hi,” he said quietly to Charlie. She smiled in response.

“We were just telling Charlie that she must be living it up in London too much to have lost all this weight,” his mum said; “but that we do like this fancy new haircut of hers.”

“I wasn’t actually,” Matt’s dad said. “I was just telling Charlie that if I was twenty years younger and not her father-in-law…”

“Okay dad, I don’t think any of us need to hear the end of that sentence,” Matt said interrupting his dad just in time and making his parents and Charlie laugh.

“Matt,” Emily said from behind him before putting both of her hands on his right arm.

Matt’s mum, dad, and Charlie, all looked from Emily to Matt. He looked from Emily to all of them, but his eyes lingered on Charlie’s as he tried to make a silent apology to her.

“Hi,” Emily said holding out her hand to his dad.

“Dad, this is Emily. Emily this is my dad,” Matt said as Emily shook hands with his dad. “This is my mum,” he continued as she shook hands with his mum; “and Charlie you know,” he finished almost ashamedly.

Charlie smiled at Emily, and then with a laugh she said to Matt’s parents; “with introductions like that, maybe Rich and Bex should’ve sprung for name badges.”

Matt’s parents laughed, as did Emily, but Matt just looked at Charlie.

“Matt’s dad is Robin,” Charlie said to Emily as Robin laughed again; “and this is Marie,” Charlie added sharing a warm smile with Matt’s mum. “Hi,” she finally said to Emily before hugging her and astounding Matt.

Emily pulled back from Charlie and said to Matt; “Bex is demanding that you get back over to her and Rich. As best man I think you’re supposed to be in most of the photos.”

He could feel his mum scowling at Emily, and so he said; “okay, well I’d better get back then.”

As he walked away from his family he tried to guide Emily in front of him, but he was mortified when she stopped and took his hand in hers before continuing back towards the main party.

Matt wondered what his parents were making of his new girlfriend. He knew they wouldn’t be enamoured, but then Emily hadn’t done herself any favours in coming over when they were talking to Charlie. His parents loved Charlie. Although he now felt guilty that he hadn’t bothered to speak to Charlie before today. He knew that he owed it to her, or to the old her at least, to have found out where she’d moved after Cheddar and to have told her that he was with Emily.

He also couldn’t believe that he’d just embarrassed himself in front of his parents like he had.